Travel --- 10/23/2013 - 12/11/2013 --- France, Switzerland, Italy, Morocco, Spain
10/23-10/31
Hanging out in Lyon, France with Emily and her roommate Lindsay. Explored
the Croix Rousse area, old town, the cathedrals and palaces and roman ruins.
Went to a wine tasting and ate ice cream and made french onion soup. Saw
the zoo and botanical gardens and Interpol HQ (from the outside).
11/1-11/3
Jess arrives in Lyon. She joins Emily and I on a quick trip to Verdon Gorge
a few hours south of Lyon. We rappel into the gorge and climb out. We try
some single pitch sport lines in crags set above a picturesque lake. We
visit the charming city of Mousetiers and see its ceramic shops.
11/4-11/9
Jess and I head to the Switzerland/Italy border to stay with Nicola for a
few days. We hike, climb, and eat a ton of food. Lake Lugano in Switzerland.
Italian pizza in Luino, Italy. Driving back to Lyon, we stop in Chamonix
and climb for a bit. Then spend an afternoon touring Annecy.
Those tunnels under the Alps are quite impressive, but wow the tolls are high!
11/10-11/18
Emily is with us again and we are off to Morocco! We see the Majorelle
Botanical Gardens in Marrakesh, and are harangued by touts everywhere else
in the city. We take the train to Rabat where we meet Dan and take a
quick tour of the city. Then off to Meknes where Morgan and Hannah
give us an insider's view of the gorgeous city. My favorite place in
Morocco! We see the Mausoleum, Medina and Madrasa which are all very
interesting and very accessible without being too touristy. And the
avocado milkshakes are bliss inducing. Trust me.
From Meknes we go to Fes where we meet up with Dan again. He knows the old town like the back of his hand and shows us everything from where the camel caravans unloaded 600 years ago, to where the leather artisans have been plying their craft for 600 years. Dan runs Anou and knows all about the local artisans. We head to Imouzzer where we meet Drew and Lindsay, Dan's housemates. We hike around the town and visit a Hammam. I enjoy it, even though I am blind and mute and stealing people's stuff. No, really.
Finishing our whirlwind tour of Morocco, we take the bus to Chefchaouen
a beautiful opium den city in the heart of the hashish region.
From there we bus to Tangier where we catch a ferry across the Straights
of Gibraltar to Spain and a quick ride to Malaga. Emily and I enjoy
a relaxing two days in Malaga where we eat chocolate con churros and tapas
while touring the city, strolling on the beach, and visiting the Picasso
museum.
11/19-11/27
Jess and I head to Sevilla where we meet up with Yamin and Chris. We see
the largest cathedral in the world and a bunch of other sights before departing
to El Chorro. There -- with our Spanish villa as a home base -- we climb
a bunch of limestone, traverse the Camino del Rey four times, and take a
day trip to Ronda, Spain to see its famous New Bridge (which was built from
1751 to 1793... and yes, it really is the newest bridge in the city). And
did I mention the climbing? Oh, there it is just two sentences back.
My writing style confuses even me. Anyhow, there was lots of climbing.
11/28-12/5
We head to Granada to meet up with Mikey and see Alhambra. From there the
five of us go to Alicante which we use as a base to climb all over the
Costa Blanca region. We conclude the climbing portion of our trip with
a romp up Penon de Ifach, a 330m tower which comes straight up out of the
Mediterranean Sea. We tour Valencia and Barcelona. The Sagrada Familia
Basilica and other architectural feats of Antoni Gaudi are marvelous to
behold.
12/6-12/11
Back to Lyon for a quick visit. Flights are cheap in Europe! One last
bit of climbing in a cold quarry on the Rhone. Seeing the old masters and
the surrealists at the Musee des Beaux Arts. And being one of the million
people lucky enough to be in Lyon for the Fete des Lumieres! The photos
don't do it justice. Saying goodbye one last time, heading to Madrid for
an evening of touring the city, then back to the United States.
Phew!
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Itinerary 1: Lyon, France |
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Do you hear the people sing? Place des Terreaux Lyon, France -- 10/25/2013 |
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Food picture Lyon, France -- 10/26/2013 |
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Best ice cream I've ever had in my life. From Terre Adelice in Old Town Lyon. Lyon, France -- 10/26/2013 |
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Ancient Roman statues. Lyon, France -- 10/31/2013 |
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Ancient Roman climbers. Lyon, France -- 10/31/2013 |
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Fourviere Lyon, France -- 10/31/2013 |
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Europe is Gangsta, 1 of 4 What up Verdon! Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/1/2013 |
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Climbing Fini au Pipi. That is me in red in the lower right corner of the picture. Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/2/2013 |
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Jess climbing Fini au Pipi Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/2/2013 |
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Emily climbing Fini au Pipi Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/2/2013 |
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Emily climbing Fini au Pipi Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/2/2013 |
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Emily and Jess at the top of Fini au Pipi Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/2/2013 |
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Jess and Emily with the sunset over Lac de Sainte-Croix in the background. Not photoshopped. This is the photo exactly as it came off my camera. Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/2/2013 |
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Emily leading at Les Hauts Vernis Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/3/2013 |
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Panorama of Jess and Emily above Lac de Sainte-Croix. Verdon Gorge, France -- 11/3/2013 |
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Hiking Astano, Switzerland -- 11/5/2013 |
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Europe is Gangsta, 2 of 4 Jess and Arne Astano, Switzerland -- 11/5/2013 |
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Crepes with banana whipped cream Astano, Switzerland -- 11/6/2013 |
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Waterfall Astano, Switzerland -- 11/6/2013 |
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Lake Lugano Lugano, Switzerland -- 11/6/2013 |
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Nicola Vezia, Switzerland -- 11/7/2013 |
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For similar reasons I am unable to go to New York and Japan. Had to stay in the right lane and go to Turin. I was just too sexy... Italy -- 11/8/2013 |
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The Alps! Chamonix, France -- 11/8/2013 |
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Climbing at Coupeau Chamonix, France -- 11/8/2013 |
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Cascade de l'Arpenaz Sallanches, France -- 11/9/2013 |
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Canals of Annecy Annecy, France -- 11/9/2013 |
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Food. It was as good as it looks. Lyon, France -- 11/10/2013 |
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Bumper cars! Lyon, France -- 11/10/2013 |
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Lyon is Gourd-ous! Lyon, France -- 11/10/2013 |
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Happy to be in Morocco! Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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Lunch in Marrakesh Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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See, there really is lunch involved. Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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11:11:11 11/11/2013 Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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Spice seller Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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How did we ever get to be so awesome???? Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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Sunset Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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Insoportable! The touts and hucksters are VERY aggressive in Marrakesh. Marrakesh, Morocco -- 11/11/2013 |
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There we go. Emily, Morgan and Jess. Meknes, Morocco -- 11/13/2013 |
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Tea with Hannah Meknes, Morocco -- 11/13/2013 |
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Gate to the medina Fes, Morocco -- 11/13/2013 |
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Heading out for a hike. Emily, Jess, Lindsay, Dan, Daisy and Drew. Imouzzer, Morocco -- 11/14/2013 |
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Hiking in the hills high above Imouzzer. Imouzzer, Morocco -- 11/14/2013 |
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You pick a long exposure and you rotate the camera. How do you get that effect, Emily? Imouzzer, Morocco -- 11/14/2013 |
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Sunset over Chefchaouen Chefchaouen, Morocco -- 11/15/2013 |
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Ferry leaving Morocco Tangier Med, Morocco -- 11/16/2013 |
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The beach Malaga, Spain -- 11/17/2013 |
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Chocolate con Churros Malaga, Spain -- 11/17/2013 |
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Slacklining at Alcazar Seville, Spain -- 11/18/2013 |
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Seville Cathedral Seville, Spain -- 11/19/2013 |
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The university Seville, Spain -- 11/19/2013 |
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Playground Seville, Spain -- 11/19/2013 |
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Panorama of Plaza de Espana. Seville, Spain -- 11/19/2013 |
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Schindler's Lift Pun credit: Chris Chang Seville, Spain -- 11/20/2013 |
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Jess climbing at Buena Sombra. El Chorro, Spain -- 11/21/2013 |
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Chris leading Yogur de Coco at Buena Sombra. El Chorro, Spain -- 11/21/2013 |
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Camino del Rey El Chorro, Spain -- 11/22/2013 |
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Camino del Rey El Chorro, Spain -- 11/22/2013 |
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Camino del Rey El Chorro, Spain -- 11/22/2013 |
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Camino del Rey El Chorro, Spain -- 11/22/2013 |
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At the end of the Camino del Rey El Chorro, Spain -- 11/22/2013 |
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Me climbing Gracias Aguas El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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Jess climbing Poema de Roca El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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Yamin climbing Poema de Roca El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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Yamin on Poema de Roca. El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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Nice double knee bar! Chris with a hands-free rest on Poema de Roca El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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What the heck??? How am I doing that? El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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Oh. Ok. This is a level photo. The ground is tilted and all the trees are growing at an angle. El Chorro, Spain -- 11/23/2013 |
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Amptrax El Chorro, Spain -- 11/24/2013 |
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The new bridge. Ronda, Spain -- 11/25/2013 |
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Selfie I was working on my cat impressions. Got good at it by the end of the day. Ronda, Spain -- 11/25/2013 |
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Yamin, Chris and I in Ronda Ronda, Spain -- 11/25/2013 |
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Yamin slab climbing at Los Cotos El Chorro, Spain -- 11/26/2013 |
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Me climbing at Los Cotos. El Chorro, Spain -- 11/26/2013 |
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Sangria and tapas Granada, Spain -- 11/27/2013 |
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The Alhambra Granada, Spain -- 11/28/2013 |
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The Alhambra is over 1100 years old. It contains a mix of styles from the various cultures that inhabited it over the years. This horseshoe arch is Islamic architecture and was built in the 1300s. The Nestle ice cream and Coca-Cola are Byzantine and date from the early 1500s. Granada, Spain -- 11/28/2013 |
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Apple cobbler for dessert after a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner. Granada, Spain -- 11/28/2013 |
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The Mediterranean Alicante, Spain -- 11/29/2013 |
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Yamin climbing Gandia, Spain -- 11/30/2013 |
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Chris and I recreating the Sistine Chapel Ceiling. Callosa, Spain -- 12/1/2013 |
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Me climbing at Callosa. Callosa, Spain -- 12/1/2013 |
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Mikey at the top of Espolon Limaban. Toix, Spain -- 12/2/2013 |
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Penon de Ifach Calpe, Spain -- 12/2/2013 |
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Chris on Penon de Ifach Calpe, Spain -- 12/3/2013 |
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Spain has weird signs, part 1 of 2 Put ice cubes in your giant drink. Calpe, Spain -- 12/3/2013 |
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Spain has weird signs, part 2 of 2 Stand on top of your bike now. Valencia, Spain -- 12/4/2013 |
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Science City at sunset. Valencia, Spain -- 12/4/2013 |
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Arc d Triumph (the Barcelona version) Barcelona, Spain -- 12/5/2013 |
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Sagrada Familia Basilica Barcelona, Spain -- 12/5/2013 |
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Gaudi Architecture Barcelona, Spain -- 12/5/2013 |
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Europe is Gangsta, 3 of 4 Hiphop-jeffapotamus Barcelona, Spain -- 12/6/2013 |
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Europe is Gangsta, 4 of 4 Beaches and hose Barcelona, Spain -- 12/6/2013 |
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Shit Janice! Don't you talk to my girlfriend! It is a merman archer riding a merhorse vs. a woman riding a mercentaur with a shell shield and giant crab claw sword. Obviously. Museum de Beaux Artes, Lyon, France -- 12/7/2013 |
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Uri Lyon, France -- 12/8/2013 |
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Lindsay Lyon, France -- 12/8/2013 |
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Emily leading a route. Lyon, France -- 12/8/2013 |
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Fete des Lumieres! Lyon, France -- 12/9/2013 |
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Palacio de Cibeles Madrid, Spain -- 12/10/2013 |
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Inside the lights in Plaza Mayor. Madrid, Spain -- 12/10/2013 |